(G02) Net-Zero Energy and Emissions, All Electric Buildings and Sustainability Firsts in LEED v4.1 Communities

Around the world, leaders are doubling down on the topic of climate change, for example recent bold pledges by President Biden, President Xi Jinping and European Union to reach net-zero by 2050/2060. What is most promising about this shared sense of urgency is that the key to stopping or slowing global warming may lie with communities.

USGBC’s LEED for Cities and Communities rating system is helping leaders from more than 325 cities and communities plan, design, develop, operate, manage, measure and improve our communities, to offer higher sustainability and quality of life to all.

Nadia Boschi of LendLease will offer innovative perspectives for net-zero from the MIND - Milano Innovation District in Italy, pursuing LEED v4.1 for Communities: Plan and Design for two projects. For this 100-hectare urban redevelopment, Lendlease has set ambitious net zero targets; with operational and embodied net zero carbon emissions by 2025, and absolute zero scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2040. Arup’s climate resilience specialists developed a Climate Adaption & Resilience strategy, offering a systematic approach to proactively anticipate risks and respond to weather events against a number of potential 2090 climate change scenarios.

MIND’s strategic goals and actions are grouped around three key pillars: nature, people and nourishment. These will guide the design of green and blue infrastructure and shared spaces across the site, helping shape circular economy-inspired water management, a circular food system and promoting social resilience through urban farming and on-site food production activities. Nature-based solutions will help mitigate flooding risks and improve the interaction between surface and groundwater by optimizing the site’s water infiltration and attenuation mechanisms.

Lisa Phocas will highlight the River District from Charlotte, North Carolina pursuing LEED 4.1 for Communities: Plan and Design rating system. The first phase of the community (initial commercial, multifamily, and single family) will be all-electric and by working closely with Duke Energy to pilot an opportunity that will allow the 50 single family homes in the first phase to achieve net-zero, including the developer owned buildings to pursue LEED Certification.

Edner Bellanger will showcase Condado Naranjo, which is a 2.9 km2 community located in Guatemala City and achieved the LEED v4.1 for Communities: Existing certification at platinum level in October 2022. It has 27m2 of green spaces per resident, water consumption that is 25% below the global average, +1500 solar panels that generate energy for residential consumption and recycling around 1.4 tons of waste per month.

Lisa Bolle will offer insights from the Alloy Block, consists of a six-part redevelopment project in Brooklyn, New York. The development will include an all-electric residential tower, a commercial office tower, retail, cultural center, and an elementary school and high school designed to achieve Passive House. In line with New York City's commitment to reducing GHG emissions, the residential tower took the innovative step of designing as New York City's first all-electric tower. The goal to go all-electric aligned with the city's vision of decarbonizing the electricity grid, which will ultimately deliver a zero-carbon building.